Redemption of a Dark Saiyan: Face the Past
by rimera
Summary: Gohan aka Kress was raised by Raditz, trained by Vegeta, defeated Frieza, and almost destroyed the entire universe. Now he seeks to redeem himself, with the help of Goten, who became a Kai to stop his brother. What happens when the two brothers find themselves in the DBS universe? Takes place one year after History of a Dark Saiyan, first of the series.
1. Rest

A/N: Okay, guys, this is the first installment of my Redemption of a Dark Saiyan series. It's part of a series of sequels to History of a Dark Saiyan. If you haven't read that, you might want to, but you don't have to. I plan to write this in such a way that it should make sense to anyone who hasn't read HDS. Please let me know if it doesn't, though. Enjoy, and reviews (and ideas for new adventures for our two brothers) are always welcome!

A tall blue-skinned being with resplendent robes and a large blue ring around his head, gazed intently into the black ball on top of his staff. Behind him there was movement, causing him to merely raise an eyebrow as he continued his gaze. "Good morning, Lord Beerus. I trust you slept well," Whis said smoothly.

A purple, cat-like being in a white nightgown stretched lazily. "Well enough. Had the strangest dream," he said, yawning. "Something about a Super Saiyan God. Ever heard of something like that?" he asked, popping the joints in his neck.

"Super Saiyan God?" Whis asked, casting a glance at the God of Destruction. "No, can't say that I have. Though, you did miss the universe almost being destroyed by a mortal," he said, with a hint of a smile at what was sure to happen next.

"WHAT?!" Beerus yelled, fully awake, the castle around them beginning to shake with his fury. He was mere inches away from Whis, who merely looked at him, unconcerned. "Did you say the UNIVERSE was almost destroyed by… a mere MORTAL?!" he hissed.

"Hmm… yes, I believe that _is_ what I said, Lord Beerus," Whis said, and smiled. "But don't worry, the Supreme Kai took action while you were sleeping. That's why I let you sleep in, your services were not required. The Saiyan destroyed a good part of Frieza's empire, twelve stars and their planets were directly destroyed by him, and the resulting singularities and spatial anomalies have resulted in loss of life for many of the surrounding star systems. In fact, if you like, you can go back to sleep, the Saiyan seems to have met your quota for another hundred years or so," he said, resisting the urge to laugh at Beerus's reaction to this.

"WHAT?! Where is this mortal now, I'll-" Suddenly, Beerus stopped, peering at Whis curiously. "Wait… did you say he was a Saiyan?" Beerus asked.

Whis blinked. "Yes…." he said slowly, thinking. "Now that you mention it, the transformation he underwent… I believe the Saiyans call it Super Saiyan…" he said.

"But not Super Saiyan God?" Beerus asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. Lord Beerus, it was probably just a dream. Though, I have to say, this Super Saiyan was quite impressive, for a mortal," Whis said thoughtfully.

Beerus stroked his chin for a long moment, then glanced to Whis. "What did the Supreme Kai do to this mortal? I want the entire story," he said, sitting down.

Whis sighed, and began to tell him everything.

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Kress stretched, and rubbed his eyes. He'd been staring at this computer terminal for over ten hours, and his muscles cried out for a break. He was a warrior after all, not a tech, as his Uncle Raditz had often reminded him. His body needed to be challenged, just as much as his mind did.

But the people on this station didn't need his muscles, right now, as much as they did his mind. He was close to finishing the defense grid, and wouldn't be able to properly rest until he completed it. Remnants from Frieza's empire were starting to re-organize, and the independent star systems were hard-pressed to defend themselves. Kress was determined that this station would survive their next encounter with the coalition.

' _You need to rest,'_ came the predictable voice in his head, a voice which Kress studiously ignored. Spotting an algorithm that could be the cause of the programming issue he was having, he adjusted it and ran the program again.

Nope, that wasn't it…

' _You can't fix everything in one day, you know. You're no good to anyone half-asleep,'_ the voice came again.

Kress rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me what to do," he grumbled, going over the next screen to find the problem.

He could feel his brother's laughter in his mind. _'Telling you what to do is ALL I do, Gohan,'_ Kai Goten's voice returned, resulting in a smirk from Kress.

"Then do it some other time. I'm trying to concentrate," Kress said, and grunted as he looked at one line of code. "Of course," he muttered, shaking his head at his own stupidity. "Of course it didn't work like this…" he said, and checked some figures before replacing the line of code with another one.

' _You're really good at this stuff, Gohan. One of these days, you gotta teach me how,'_ the voice was saying, as Kress tuned it out and re-ran the program.

The defense grid was up.

Kress gave a satisfied grin, then stood up, stretching. "Spar with me, brother," Kress said, cracking his knuckles. "All this sitting's making me soft."

' _Sparring is NOT resting, Gohan,'_ Kai Goten replied, causing Kress to scowl.

"We have a deal, brother. We fight, then I rest. I haven't moved all day, I can't just go to sleep like this," Kress growled.

Kai Goten sighed. _'Fine, but as soon as I kick your ***, you'd better go straight to bed,'_ he responded.

Kress was about to retort when a hand appeared on his shoulder out of nowhere, and he was being pulled backwards, disappearing completely.

He spun around to see Kai Goten smirking at him. Kress glared. "I hate it when you do that," he groused, crossing his arms. "If someone sees me just disappear like that, there's going to be questions I can't answer, and I won't be able to finish my work," he said.

Kai Goten shrugged. "Well, as soon as you invent something that gets you from the Living World to my world, you can come here on your own. Until then, you wanted to spar, now you're here to spar. Stop griping," he said, rolling his eyes as he started walking down one of the corridors. "You coming?" he called over his shoulder.

Kress growled and followed his brother, his eyes narrowed. "You're the one who's getting his *** kicked," he mumbled, and followed him into one of the many strange rooms of his brother's temple.

Going through the door, Kress was struck once again by the strangeness of it. Going 'into' the room was a bit of a misnomer, as they were now standing outside, in the grass, on some planet with no trees and three moons in the sky. Of course, they weren't real moons… Kress felt no quickening of his heart, no urge to transform, as he typically did upon looking at a full moon. His tail twitched at the thought, and he uncoiled it from around his waist, intending to train it as well as the rest of him. He turned to Kai Goten, who was stretching not far away. "You've been going soft, too," he smirked, calling as much of his energy to himself that he could. It wasn't much, compared to the vast ocean of power he was capable of, but it would be enough to defeat his brother this time. He was sure of it.

Goten smirked at his brother. As a Kai, he didn't get stronger every time he fought; he was the same as he had been before he became a Kai, his power would only ever increase if there was a _need_ for it to. Sparring with Kress didn't really count as a need. The time would come, soon, where Kress would be able to beat Goten, even with the device in his chest that absorbed most of his energy. When that time came, sparring would become a lot less fun, for both brothers.

But for now…

Kai Goten pulled up as much energy as he could, careful only to use his _physical_ energy. Using any of the creative energy he had within him could cause a LOT of problems he really didn't want to deal with. There was a time and a place for it, and the rules of the Kai were strict. Besides, he didn't want to accidentally hurt his brother.

A fist was flying into his face just then, and Goten ducked at the last second sending his elbow into Kress's stomach. A blast of ki hit Goten in the back, and the Kai cried out as he teleported behind Kress. That was a mistake, however, as he was suddenly flung aside by Kress's tail, and Goten cursed himself mentally for having forgotten about it. Stopping himself, he placed his hands to his side, using his father's favorite attack. "Ka…me…"

A surge of anger shot through Kress, and with a loud yell he barreled towards Goten in fury. At the last second, Goten teleported behind him, grabbing his tail, which brought a hiss of pain from the Saiyan warrior. "You gotta work on those anger issues, Gohan, they'll get you killed," Goten quipped, as Kress fought against the pain shooting through his body to try to grab Goten. Goten dodged easily, never letting go of Kress's tail. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he taunted.

Kress growled, and summoned up as much energy as he could. Instantly, he turned just enough to face Goten, and opened his mouth wide, firing an energy beam at the Kai point blank.

Goten teleported away at the last second, his eyes wide, as a now free Kress flew towards him at break-neck speeds, intent on planting his face firmly in the ground. It was all Goten could do to stand his ground long enough for Kress to get near, before teleporting away.

He was unprepared for the ki blast that met him when he re-materialized, flinging him backwards onto the ground.

He was equally unprepared for the fist that ground itself into his stomach, knocking all the air out of him.

Kress, however was unprepared for the elbow that hit him at the base of the neck from behind, causing the half-Saiyan to black out and slump to the ground.

Kai Goten looked down at him and smiled softly. "There. Now, _that's_ resting," he said, winded, as he raised his hand, causing his brother's unconscious form to rise into the air. Turning, he caused Kress to float back through the door, down the corridor, and into another room, where there was a bed. After depositing the warrior onto the bed, he waved a hand, causing his armor to disappear, revealing skin that was riddled with scars, and a strange blue mark over his heart. Kai Goten sighed, gazing at the mark he had made on his brother almost a year ago.

It was a Kai symbol, meaning 'protect the weak'.

"Sleep well, brother. You'll need it," he said softly, and turning, left the room.


	2. Anger

Kai Goten walked through the dark fields of spikes, the stench of blood and decay offending his senses. Around him, men and women worked, some standing tall and grim-faced, others hunched over and crying, as they harvested the spikes that grew out of the ground. Kai Goten's heart ached for these people, but he knew he could do nothing… they had chosen this path on their own, and now worked off the debt they owed to those they'd hurt in life. He searched each face, looking for one in particular; those that met his eyes instantly turned away in shame, though most saw his clothes and turned away instantly. The Kai were not well met in HFIL.

"Looking for me, Kai?" a voice said from behind him, and he turned to see a man who bore a very strong resemblance to his father, except for his Saiyan armor and the scar across his cheek. He had a load of spikes in his muscular arms, but looked as though he still had trouble lifting them. That was the nature of this place… it made an accounting of one's strength, so that no matter how strong you were, it would never be enough. Kai Goten decided to make his visit quick, so as to not add to the man's suffering.

"I came for another lesson," he said, stepping out of the man's way so he could work while he spoke to the Kai. Bardock reached for another spike before he spoke.

"Still don't understand why you wanna know about the culture of a dead race," the Saiyan said, hissing as he gripped the spike tightly. "A race you aren't even a part of anymore," he pointed out, as with great force he ripped the spike out of the ground.

"It's for Gohan," Kai Goten replied, watching as the Saiyan added the new spike to his already large load. "He was raised the Saiyan way, and I need to understand him better so I can help him with his… er…"

"Anger problems?" Bardock replied, rolling his eyes as he wiped blood off his palms and walked towards the next spike. "Aliens always think Saiyans are angry when they're not. Are you sure he's not just grumpy or annoyed?" he said with a smirk, giving the Kai a sly glance.

Time with Kress had taught Kai Goten that this was a Saiyan's sense of humor, so he smirked in turn. "Yeah, I'm sure. He's made a lot of progress, but anything having to do with Father sets him off. I used one of Father's attacks, and I thought he was going to rip my throat out," he said, trying not to wince as Bardock gripped another spike, a tiny rivulet of blood flowing down it.

"You attacked him, and he wanted to rip your throat out. Sounds pretty normal for any species, to me," Bardock said as he held the spike tighter, pulling it hard. It didn't come out. Bardock scowled at it. "Oh, no, you're _mine_ ," he replied to the challenge the spike presented, doubling his efforts.

"Yeah, but he doesn't usually leave himself wide open to attack," Kai Goten replied, frowning as a pool of blood began to form at the bottom of the spike. "Do you _have_ to gather _that_ one? It doesn't look like it's going to come out," he said, starting to worry.

Bardock glared at the Kai. "You really don't know much about our people," he said, and turned his glare back to the spike. "We… can't… resist… a challenge…" With a loud cry, he ripped the spike out of the ground, but the force of it caused the spikes in his other arm to fall down around him, then plant themselves back into the soil. "SHIT!" Bardock spat, but held tight to the spike in his hand. With a sigh, he cradled it in his other arm, and began pulling one of the other spikes. "If your brother's leaving himself open to attack, he needs to get his emotions under control. You said it was your father's attack, huh?" he asked as he ripped the spike from the ground. Kai Goten nodded. "Then it's simple, he's got issues with his father. Man needs to beat some sense into his cub, is all," he said, wiping blood from his palm again. "When's the last time they fought?" he asked.

Kai Goten blinked. "They never fought. Gohan was kidnapped by Raditz when he was four, Raditz raised him," he said.

Bardock scowled at him. "You mean, the last time he fought his father was when he was four, then," he clarified.

The Kai thought about it for a moment. "No, I think he started his training under Raditz, I don't think Father ever trained him," he said.

Bardock glared. "If you weren't a Kai, I'd knock you on the side of your head," he growled, the tail around his waist twitching. Kai Goten frowned at that, and Bardock sighed, reminding himself that his grandson was an alien. "It's an expression of endearment, stupid. We're tough on our children, so they'll grow strong. A grandfather who cares for his grandson will knock him on the side of the head for being stupid. A father who cares for his son will start knocking him around by the time he's old enough to walk. How the hell else are they gonna learn to defend themselves?" he said, gripping another spike and ripping it from the ground.

Kai Goten thought about this and watched the Saiyan work for a few moments before he spoke. "Grandfather, if I need it, please feel free to knock me on the head from time to time," he said softly. The Saiyan turned to regard him for a long moment, then suddenly his tail whipped out and smacked Kai Goten on the side of the head, causing the Kai to yelp.

"Go see to your brother, cub, I've got work to do," the Saiyan muttered, then, and turned away. Kai Goten rubbed the whelp on the side of his face, and smiled wryly.

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Kress awoke to find himself lying on a soft bed, completely naked. He growled, wincing at the pain in the back of his neck. How long had he been out? He had to get back to the space station before someone did a search and discovered him missing. His eyes searched the room for his armor, but didn't find it anywhere. Of course not. "GOTEN!" he bellowed grumpily, and got up, mindful of his sore muscles. At least he'd gotten a decent workout.

Saiyans weren't typically very modest, and Kress was no exception, having spent his life fighting next to other Saiyan males. Modesty was a mixture of fear and shame, and Saiyans abhorred both. And so, he had no problem strolling through the corridors of the temple stark naked, looking for his brother. "GOTEN!" he shouted, finding his way into the main room of the temple.

Kai Goten was nowhere to be found.

Kress growled again, and looked into the pool in the center of the room. Sometimes Goten made images appear there, but this time, there was nothing. He cast one glance at the door to HFIL, then looked away, suppressing a shudder. There was no way in… well, _hell,_ that he would find himself entering there before it was his turn. He'd have plenty of time on the other side of that door before all was said and done.

Ignoring the door, he went down one of the other corridors, wondering how many corridors this place had. He looked through two empty rooms, one room that looked like a spa he would have to try later, one library that gave him the creeps, and one storage closet, before he came to a door that wouldn't open right away. "GOTEN! YOU IN HERE?" he called, banging on the door.

Suddenly, it creaked open, and Kress was pulled through it by an invisible force as the door slammed behind him and disappeared.


	3. Prince

**A/N: Okay, guys, so you know how I said this crosses over with Dragon Ball Super? It's more accurate to say, this happens just BEFORE Dragon Ball Super. DBS has a very tight story timeline, it's hard to wiggle anything else in without changing events that are supposed to happen. So, just think of the very first episode of DBS, and this will happen, like, a month or so before that. After Buu was defeated, before Mister Satan gave Goku 100 million zenni. Okay?**

 **This chapter has been updated, you may need to re-read it.**

Kress looked around. He was… what w _as_ this place? There were racks of clothing, but not like any clothing he knew, it was made out of some kind of flimsy…

No. He'd seen this type of material before.

His mother wore stuff like this.

A woman's scream broke him out of his thoughts, and he turned suddenly, senses scanning for the threat. The woman was screaming at _him,_ and soon was joined by other women, looking at him and screaming, all dressed in…

They… they looked…

"HEY! YOU!" a man said, pointing a gun at Kress. Kress glared, instinctively turning towards the challenge, stepping forward. The man fired, and Kress caught the bullet, looking down at it. The man gasped, stepping backwards and stumbling to the ground.

"You," Kress said, nearing the man who was wetting himself in fear. "What planet is this?" he asked.

The man responded by pointing his gun again, which Kress plucked from his hand before the man could hurt anyone with it. "What planet?" he repeated gruffly.

"E-earth," the man stammered, and Kress felt his heart skip at the proclamation.

"Earth," Kress repeated, looking around at the frightened people, a cold fury in his belly. This planet should be a ball of cinders. But it wasn't. It was alive.

He couldn't name the intense emotions fighting to get out, but pushed them down anyway. Scanning the store for something more more his size and gender, he walked over to the men's section, ignoring the yelling people behind him. He soon found a pair of black sweatpants and a t-shirt that looked large enough for him, and put both on. Then he walked out the door, ignoring the shop keeper's protests, intent on finding out just what the _hell_ was going on here...

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Goten reached the door to HFIL, wondering at the absence of the large blue ogre who usually skulked around here. Making sure no one was close by to try to escape, he reached up to pull the great door open... and could not.

Goten tried again, pulling harder this time, but to no avail.

"Such a mortal response," a voice said from behind him. Goten turned around, to see a Kai with red skin, pointy ears, and long white hair, pulled back in a pony tail. He wore black and red robes, and his _eyes... "_ If the door doesn't open, then you must not have _pulled_ hard enough. As though it were a _physical_ door, not a mystical portal between dimensions," the Kai chided him.

Goten frowned slightly. "You're Komas, the Kai who oversees HFIL," he realized.

"And _you're_ easily distracted," Komas replied, with a sigh.

Goten pursed his lips, then looked towards the door. "Why won't it open?" he asked, then.

Komas nodded. " _Finally,_ a Kai question. Of course, to understand why it _won't_ open, is to understand why it _would_ open, in the first place," he said. At Goten's look of confusion, he sighed again. "Are you a Kai, or aren't you, Kai Goten? Use that mass of goo inside your skull and think about it for a second!"

Goten turned his eyes to the door, thinking for a long moment. "It opened because I wanted to go through," he said, finally.

Komas groaned. "You wanted to go _through_? Nobody _wants_ to go through a door. Well, unless they're little kids, the children of some species are so easily amused. Was that why you came? To amuse yourself with the door?" he asked, his patience growing thin.

Goten shook his head. "No, I wanted to get advice, from my grandfather. He was here, so I went through the door to see him," he said. "Now I want to be home," he added, looking at the door. It still didn't move.

Komas watched with amusement. "You want to be home, huh?" he asked, gazing at Goten with his cold eyes.

"I want to be with my brother. He's probably up by now, he needs me," Goten clarified, hoping the door would open.

It did not.

"Maybe your brother doesn't need you as much as you think," Komas said with a shrug. He gave Goten a cold smile. "Well, Kai Goten, since you're here anyway, we may as well get to know one another. After all... where your brother's going, we'll be spending a _lot_ of time together..." he said, and began to walk away. "You coming?" he called over his shoulder.

Goten took one last look at the door, and turned to follow Komas. Maybe he would find another way out...

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Kress flew through the air, looking down at the Earth. No sign of any kind of conflict. It was as though there never were androids. Could his brother have lied to him? Kress didn't think that was it. But still, how was this possible? Why wasn't the Earth a dead hunk of rock floating in space?

And how did he get here?

Suddenly, a high power level grazed across his senses, and Kress searched to find where it was coming from. Once he had the general direction, he began to fly towards it. He was willing to bet that, anyone on Earth with a power level this high, was bound to have at least _some_ of the answers he was looking for...

When Kress landed, he found himself inside a compound of large, dome-shaped buildings. One in particular caught his interest; it was shaped like a sphere, and had words written on the side in big letters, letters that were familiar to Kress. "Capsule Corp," he said, reading it. It wasn't a building, he realized upon getting closer; it was a space ship. He scowled suddenly, sensing the strong power he had tracked here emerging from the ship.

Kress's breath caught in his throat. It was none other than Prince Vegeta.

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Vegeta glared at the man standing outside of the gravity room. He hadn't sensed anyone out here; he still couldn't sense him. Was he some kind of android? He wasn't one of the many aids his mate insisted on keeping around the complex; they always seemed nervous when they approached him, putting Vegeta on edge. This man stood tall, stance strong, as he regarded the prince. His eyes tracked Vegeta's movements; that, and the scars across his arms and face told Vegeta the man was no stranger to combat.

Then the man stepped forward... and _knelt_. Vegeta was surprised by this, he had half-expected the man to attempt an attack, or worse, to try _talking_ to Vegeta about something the woman wanted, but not _this._ And then, he noticed it. The brown, furry tail that wrapped around the man's waist, outside of his t-shirt.

"You're a Saiyan," Vegeta said, surprised.

The man looked up at him then, his eyes searching Vegeta's face, and said, "I'm Kress."

Vegeta gazed at him for a long moment, before giving an imperceptible nod of his head. Kress stood at the unspoken cue, and Vegeta spoke. "Why have you come to Earth?" he demanded, knowing better than to trust the man _just_ because he was a Saiyan. His encounter with Paragus and Broly had taught him that much.

Kress was silent for a beat, then said, "It wasn't my intention to come here, my prince. I was somewhere else, before... a world in between dimensions. I fell through a door, and ended up here."

Vegeta scowled. "That's the stupidest lie I've ever heard," he said, offended.

Kress's eyes met Vegeta's dead-on. "If I've learned anything in life, it's never to lie to the Prince," he said, and those eyes, they looked haunted, Vegeta could see horror in those eyes. But no deception. He grunted.

"A world between dimensions, huh? Does that mean you're from an alternate universe?" Vegeta asked, thinking about some of the things the future version of his son had said.

Kress frowned at that. "Alternate universe? Maybe. That might explain why the Earth isn't a ball of cinders," he said, tilting his head. "And why you're here, Prince Vegeta, when I know for a fact you've never visited Earth before in your life," he added.

Vegeta grunted at that. "And how would _you_ know that?" he asked, looking the man over closely. Something about him seemed familiar...

"My uncle and I served alongside you," Kress said, and his expression darkened. "Under Frieza."

"Your uncle," Vegeta said, his eyes narrowed.

Kress gave a nod. "Raditz," he clarified.

Vegeta nodded back, now realizing why the saiyan seemed so familiar, and crossed his arms. "You're Kakarot's brat, Gohan," he said, but earned a glare from Kress.

"I _earned_ my name, my prince. I am _Kress_ ," the saiyan said, his voice low and dangerous. "I _will_ defend my right to it," he said, his muscles tense, preparing for a fight. Such a thing was to be expected, after all... it was not unusual for a saiyan in command to demand a display of strength from his subordinates by taunting them into a fight, and a saiyan's name was something to be protected, as much as his tail. Or his life. It was the reason Kakarot insisted on being called his human name, Goku, and _one_ of the reasons Vegeta insisted on never using it.

 _So odd,_ Vegeta thought. How ironic that the most un-saiyan-like saiyan he'd ever laid eyes on, was in another universe so very steeped in their planet's customs. Vegeta shrugged. "I have no interest in challenging your name, Kress," he said, causing the other saiyan to relax. "But you should know, things have happened differently, here. Our universe's version of you calls himself Gohan. And Raditz died, long ago, at the hands of your father," he said, judging the saiyan's reaction.

Kress's eyes widened at that proclamation. " _Kakarot_ killed Uncle Raditz?" he exclaimed incredulously. He frowned. " _That_ can't be right. Kakarot was a _weakling_ in my universe. Uncle Raditz bested him with one kick! Last I heard, he got sick and died from some _disease,"_ he sneered. Dying from such a thing was the worst kind of fate any Saiyan could wish on another... to die, helpless, on your back, from an enemy that made you too weak to live. Most Saiyans would kill themselves in battle upon realizing they had something like that. Family members would often be called upon to provide the battle. At least... family members who _cared_...

Which Kress obviously did not.

Vegeta could tell, right away, that there was animosity between Kress and his estranged father. The saiyan wouldn't have admitted the shameful way his father had died, if he cared at all for his memory. He sighed. "Kakarot is still alive in this universe," he said, leveling a gaze at the saiyan before him. "And before you go getting any ideas, know this: Kakarot may be a soft-hearted fool, but he is no weakling. And, more importantly," he said, stepping forward dangerously, "I claim all rights to his life."

Kress met Vegeta's eyes then, and Vegeta could plainly see the fire that burned there, the fury and absolute _hatred_ the saiyan harbored within him. He could plainly see the struggle as Kress finally stepped back, inclining his head in deference. Vegeta gave a satisfied nod. He wouldn't have to worry about Kress going off to kill Kakarot.

He, himself, had begun a battle to the death against Kakarot years ago, a battle that had yet to be satisfied, that would not be satisfied, until one of them killed the other. Each of them had died to other foes, and amazingly had come back from that, but Vegeta lived for the day when he would face off against Kakarot for the final time, and it would finally be decided which of them was the victor. Until then, he habitually reserved Kakarot's life for himself, as was within his rights as Prince.

If Kress were a true Saiyan, he would respect that.

"You may remain here until you figure out a way back to where you came from," Vegeta said with a sigh. "And I'll see if my mate can find you something decent to wear. You won't show up in my presence dressed like _that_ ," he said, pointing to Kress's stolen attire.

Kress inclined his head gratefully, and followed the prince inside.


	4. Saiyan

Goten gazed around HFIL as Komas gave him a tour, pointing out various forms of punishment as they were being inflicted on the damned souls. It made Goten sick to his stomach. In HFIL, the soul was made to look and feel like a physical body, with all its aches and pains, so that pain and anguish could be inflicted, all in an attempt to match that which the soul had doled out to others in life. It was everything Goten could do not to intervene, as they passed a rack where a man had been stretched out, screaming, as a pack of wild dogs ripped at his flesh. By the time they reached the blood fountain in the center, his eyes were wet with tears and his hands were shaking.

Komas sat down on the edge of the blood fountain, offering Goten a seat. Goten only took it because his knees were weak. "You stayed your hand, Kai Goten," he said, looking the young Kai over approvingly. "I attacked the Supreme Kai when he first brought me here. This place, this work, affects us Kai over time. Our purpose is creation, and this is... well, it's not exactly what you were expecting, either, is it?" he asked softly.

A tear flowed down Kai Goten's cheek. "Must they all suffer like this?" he asked. Here at the blood fountain, he could hear screaming, faintly, from under the ground, and knew from Komas's words that HFIL had many layers, and they were only on the top.

Komas sighed. "Kai Goten, how many mortal souls do you think have died since the beginning of time? How many have done horrible, unspeakable things in life? I can tell you, the number is much higher than you imagine it to be. Those souls must go somewhere. If they all just stayed here, for all eternity, this place would be unmanageable. As it is, it's all I can do to keep up," he said, extending a hand to gesture around them. "The only way to maintain this place is to help these souls towards reincarnation. And the only way they get _there_ is by paying for their sins. In blood," he said, and gestured at the fountain they were sitting beside. "You noticed the way your grandfather Bardock bled as he worked the spike fields?" he asked, earning a hesitant nod from Goten. "HFIL absorbs the blood of its victims, and it all comes here, to the blood fountain," he said, and dipped his hands into it, pulling up an amount cupped in both hands. "This is the blood he spilled today. One day. The amount of time it would typically take _him_ to wipe out an entire planet of people. Tell me, what does this compare, to the blood spilled by every man, woman, and child on the planet Kanassa? Or any one of the many planets he wiped out during his life?" he asked, gazing at Goten, who was looking at the blood in Komas's hands.

Goten swallowed hard. "It doesn't," he answered softly, looking down.

Komas let the blood flow back into the blood fountain, and gripped Goten's arm, ignoring the bloody handprint he left on the other Kai's sleeve. "Kai Goten, I wish to show you something. Stand beside me, so we will not be seen," he said quietly, and Goten stood, surprised, following him to a shadowed spot against a wall, just as the workers from the spike fields were returning, depositing the spikes they had harvested down a deep pit not too far from the blood fountain. Goten could see his grandfather there, dumping all but one spike down the pit. Vaguely Goten wondered if the spike he kept was the stubborn one Bardock had fought so hard to pull, as the saiyan left the group and disappeared into a door.

Goten glanced at Komas, who held up a finger in a gesture to wait, then turned as Bardock emerged from the door, dragging someone. It was another Saiyan, Goten could tell, only this one had very long, spiky hair, and reminded him quite a bit of Gohan. The long-haired Saiyan was fighting Bardock half-heartedly, it seemed he mostly didn't like being pulled by his hair, and Bardock deposited him neatly beside the blood fountain.

"You know you don't have to do this, father," the long-haired Saiyan was saying, and Goten realized this must be his uncle Raditz, the one Gohan looked up to so much. He crossed his arms, his lip curled. "It won't make a difference, you know."

Bardock scowled at his eldest son. "I'm going to be with her again, boy. And you know what she'll say if I come to her empty-handed," he said, and drove the spike into his wrist, holding it over the blood fountain, so that the blood flowed down into it.

Raditz sighed as he watched his father bleed into the pool. It was pointless, really, it was, but...

Bardock then pulled the spike out of his wrist, and handed it to Raditz. "Your turn," he said, his scowl meaningful, and Raditz took the spike.

Gazing at the spike in his hands for a long moment, he said softly, "Kress, I'm sorry for what I did to you..." then drove the spike into his own wrist, watching the blood flow down.

Goten watched the gruesome scene, until the two Saiyans left, and then turned to Komas. "Why? Why would they torture themselves? And who was Bardock talking about?" he asked, confused.

"His mate, Gine," Komas replied, frowning. "She's been reincarnated already. Worker class Saiyans don't usually spend too much time here, and she only came because of the one family she killed during her training, before she joined the Worker Class. For the most part, Gine had lived a good life, and loved her family. Bardock believes that, if he can get reincarnated, he will eventually find his way back to her," he said, and sighed. "As for what they are doing, surely you can answer that for yourself?"

Kai Goten nodded, looking back at the fountain. "They're doing everything they can to speed up the process. If their blood needs to spill, then they'll spill their blood," he said, with a smirk.

Komas shook his head ruefully. "They know it will take centuries for them to even come close. I've seen people with shorter sentences give up more readily. But, for some reason, these Saiyans seem to fight harder, the longer their sentence is. I don't understand it at all."

"I do," Kai Goten said softly, looking off in the direction his grandfather went. "Saiyans can't resist a challenge."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Kress had found Vegeta's mate to be both strange and familiar.

Familiar, because he remembered her from that day on the beach, when his uncle had come to take him away from Earth. Familiar, also, for her complete lack of fear, for her fiery tongue, for her tendency to say whatever was on her mind, no matter who it might offend. Kress could see why Vegeta had chosen her, though it was an odd coincidence he mated with a friend of the man whose life he'd claimed as his own to take. Perhaps she had come to hate Kakarot as well? Or, perhaps she did not think Prince Vegeta's claim was a serious matter?

Could Kakarot really be that strong in this universe? Well... if he weren't, he wouldn't have survived the Prince's claim on his life. Perhaps _that_ was what made him strong? He'd been fighting for his life against the saiyan prince for so long, his power had risen out of necessity. He certainly had the prince's respect in battle.

That didn't mean he had Kress's.

Kress tried to put it out of his mind. Kakarot was off-limits. As far as Kress was concerned, he was as dead in this universe as he was in his own. Whether or not he was strong mattered very little to a man who would never have the chance to fight him.

But, he could still _hate_ him.

What had he been thinking about? Ah, right, Bulma.

As familiar as she seemed, she was also quite strange, though not in a bad way. She was a tech, _that_ amused Kress to no end... the very prince who often chastised him for acting like a tech, had taken one as a mate! But, it meant that she was able to stimulate Kress on an intellectual level, which put him at ease. Truth was, he enjoyed the time he spent speaking with Bulma, and after the first hour or so was able to put aside the mistrust he had of her.

He did not, however, tell her who he was. Prince Vegeta had made that decision when he introduced Kress to Bulma as a survivor of their home planet's destruction. Technically, it wasn't a lie, as Kress's home planet of Earth _had_ been destroyed. Just not in this universe. Vegeta had asked Bulma to make him some decent armor, and find him a place to sleep, before he left. Bulma, for her part, had been huffy with Vegeta for his demands, but had regarded Kress warmly, even offering him food. And when they began to discuss the construction of his armor, she had quickly found that he had knowledge beyond what she generally associated with saiyans. It wasn't long before they'd begun working together on the project.

And then, there was their son.

At first, Kress wasn't sure how to regard the prince's son. He hadn't inherited his father's name, as was the custom in the royal line, but that didn't really surprise Kress, since the royal line was named for the planet they ruled, and the planet Vegeta was gone. What gave Kress pause was the fact that Trunks wore no armor, which told him he had yet to prove to his father that he was a warrior. Kress didn't know at first whether to ignore or acknowledge the cub; doing the wrong thing would certainly offend the prince, either way.

Fortunately, Vegeta was nearby when Trunks had first appeared, coming home from school. Vegeta had noticed the two regarding each other hesitantly, and spoke up. "Trunks," he said, his voice gruff. Trunks turned his attention to his father. "Fight him," he said, crossing his arms.

Bulma had cut in then. " _What?_ Vegeta, why would you-"

"Stay out of this, woman, it's a Saiyan matter. Trunks, I gave you an order," he said, leveling a gaze at the purple-haired boy.

Trunks blinked, putting down his school bag. "Uh... you want me to fight this guy, Dad?" he asked, confused. Vegeta gave him a single nod. Trunks looked Kress over. He was wearing the armor Bulma had made, brown and black, and had his tail wrapped around his waist. Trunks's eyes went wide at that. "Is... is that a _tail?_ " he asked. He knew about saiyans and their tails... he had seen his father's backside before, where his tail had been cut off, and had made the mistake of asking about it. After getting knocked into the wall by his father, he had been told of how all saiyans were born with tails, and that his father had lost his in his fight with Goku. "You're a saiyan?" he asked.

Kress responded by getting into a fighting stance. He would _not_ be caught off guard.

Trunks knew the look, and quickly got into a fighting stance himself. "Okay, then, here goes," he said, and flew at him with a punch.

Kress knocked him down into the grass, growling. Trunks was up in a moment, smirking, and came at him again, this time much faster.

The two of them were a flurry of fists, oblivious to Bulma's yelling at them to knock it off. Kress found himself being pushed farther and farther, and was having a difficult time blocking all of Trunks's strikes.

Then the boy's hair turned blond.

Kress had never seen it from the outside before. He didn't have much time to observe, however, as Trunks's fist met his face the next instant. Kress put everything into the battle, but the device near his heart sucked away any energy he could raise, and as a result he was soon knocked to the ground, bleeding. He pulled himself up from the ground quickly, swaying slightly as he faced his opponent.

"Enough," Vegeta said then, causing Trunks to stop and power down. He then walked away, smirking.

"What the _hell_ was that all about?" Bulma asked, scowling.

Kress wiped the blood from his busted lip, and walked up to Trunks. The boy watched him warily, but Kress dipped his head low to him. "I'm Kress," he told the boy, certain now exactly where the boy stood in his father's eyes, despite his lack of armor.

Trunks blinked up at him. "Uh... nice to meet you," he said, confused and a little overwhelmed. Kress could see the boy's mannerisms were very human. No matter. Vegeta's point had been proven to Kress, and he gave the boy another slight bow before walking off.

That had been yesterday, and since then, the boy had been a fountain of questions. Kress's answers were always brief and to the point, and in some cases nonexistent, but that didn't seem to dull the boy's excitement. It mystified Kress, as he didn't really think himself that interesting, and the boy himself had beaten him in a fight. One would think Trunks would disregard the Third-Class saiyan, but the boy latched onto him quickly, even offering to show Kress around the city. Kress had had a year to get used to being around people without killing them, but children still unnerved him. He was thankful Vegeta had insisted he and Trunks fight right from the beginning; knowing Trunks was stronger than he was in this state, put Kress's mind at ease. He knew he wouldn't accidentally kill the boy out of habit.

The truth was, Kress still didn't fully trust himself around people in general. Especially with his brother missing in action.

Yesterday, a lot had been going on to take his mind off of it, but today he was anxious for his brother to hurry and find him. Kress had no idea how else he was going to return to his own universe. He was good with science, but he wasn't _that_ good; he didn't know of anyone in the universe who could make a machine that could travel between universes. No, he was stuck here until Goten came to bring him back.

And until then, he had commands to uphold.

"What's that say?" Trunks asked, breaking Kress from his thoughts. He was absently rubbing the symbol on his wrist, as he often did, and Trunks was now peering at it. "Is it written in Saiyan?" he asked.

Kress smirked at that. "Nah, Saiyan's much easier to read," he said, running a thumb over the blue mark. "It's written in Kai language," he said with a sigh. "Means 'Do not kill,'" he explained.

Trunks's eyes widened. "Kai, like the Supreme Kai?" he asked in awe. Before Kress could respond that he didn't know who he was talking about, Trunks frowned. "Why's it say, 'Do not kill'? Did you kill someone?" he asked hesitantly.

Kress regarded the boy for a long moment, before speaking. "I killed a lot of 'someones'," he said truthfully. He glanced down at his wrists. "These remind me that I don't do that any more," he admitted softly.

Trunks was silent for a long moment, and Kress retrieved the folded t-shirt and sweatpants he had taken from the clothing store the day before. He frowned. "Trunks, I have no more use for these. Is it customary to return them to the place they came from?" he asked, not remembering many stores from when he was a kid.

Trunks frowned, looking them over. They still had tags hanging off of them. "I don't know, I guess it depends on how much you paid for them, you might be able to get your money back," he said thoughtfully.

Kress raised an eyebrow. "I didn't pay anything for them," he said with a shrug.

Trunks scowled. "You _stole_ them?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, guess I did," Kress responded casually. "They served their purpose, though. Think they'll want 'em back?" he asked.

Trunks gave him a look like he'd grown another head. "Of course they want them back! You stole them! They're probably looking for you right now!" he said, his eyes wide.

Kress looked at the clothes distastefully. "Because of _these_?" he asked dubiously.

Trunks crossed his arms. "It's the principle of the matter. Thieves go to jail, end of story," he said, using his child logic.

Frieza's holding cells came to mind, and Kress growled. "Hmmph, they can _try_ to put me in jail," he said with a smirk.

"You need to go right now and return those, Kress. Just tell them you're a foreigner, and you didn't know it was stealing. Maybe they'll go easy on you, since it was just some clothes," Trunks reasoned. "It's the right thing to do," he added, his look determined.

Kress growled. Such a _stupid_ thing, but the boy outranked him, and he finally sighed. Gripping the clothes with one hand, he inclined his head to Trunks and left.


	5. Saiyaman

Komas had offered to show Goten the lower levels of HFIL, but Goten respectfully declined. He honestly didn't think he could stomach it. So, the two of them had settled for going back to the door Goten had come through, to see if he could get it to open. Komas sat nearby on a chair next to a table he had conjured, sipping tea. There was another chair and cup available should Goten get bored, but he was not going to give up. He watched Goten concentrate for a good hour before he spoke. "By the way, how _is_ the Supreme Kai? I haven't seen him since he assigned me to this place. To tell the truth, we lower Kai rarely see him, we report directly to the Grand Kai. To hear he not only pulled a _living mortal_ into Otherworld, but trained him himself on _his planet..._ well, you're a bit of a celebrity among us Kai," he said with a small smile as he sipped his tea.

Goten sighed. "Well... actually, I haven't seen him since he turned me into a Kai," he said softly, looking down. "I know he knows where I am, and what's happened... he sent me the Z-sword, and..." he didn't know how to put the next part into words.

"You can feel him watching over you," Komas provided, earning a sharp glance from Goten. "We all can. The Supreme Kai sees everything. He sees you, too. He sees us, right now, having this conversation, and I'M SURE HIS EARS ARE BURNING!" he yelled at the sky, scowling. He turned back to Goten, amused. "He tends to keep a hands-off approach, even among us Kai. Safer that way for everything, really... you don't want to distract the _Supreme Kai_ from his job, otherwise all sorts of things could go awry. Besides, if he came to us every time we needed something, the Grand Kai would disappear from existence. That _is_ his purpose, you know, to administrate over us Kai," he said, and grinned. "But, _you_ , you went over the Supreme Kai's head. The _Xenokai_ took interest in you! _That's_ something right there. The Supreme Kai is probably afraid to meddle in _his_ boss's affairs," Komas said with a chuckle.

Goten's eyes were wide at that. "That... that energy, the creative energy that made my home..." he breathed in realization. "It was _him._ The Xenokai!"

Komas nodded. "The one and only. As old as I am, I have NEVER seen the Xenokai, much less watched him create something new! As I said, Kai Goten, you are a celebrity among us Kai. That's one of the reasons I rushed out to meet you once I realized you were coming into my world," he admitted, with a small smile.

Goten regarded him suspiciously. "Are you certain _you're_ not the one keeping me here?" he asked. "You know I'm willing to come and visit. You don't need to hold me against my will," he added, arms crossed.

Komas laughed, inclining his head in gratitude. "Well, I certainly appreciate the company, but no, I'm not the one holding you here. I will help you figure out how to leave, though, if you promise to stick to your word and visit from time to time. The life of a Kai is a lonely one, especially in HFIL," he said kindly.

Goten smiled. "It's a deal," he said.

Komas nodded, then turned his attention to the door. "You know what you want, and the door won't open to bring you to it," he mused thoughtfully. He raised his eyebrow at Goten. "Are you sure what you want is on the other side of that door?" he asked.

"Of course! I mean... where else could Gohan be? He can't leave my world on his own. And... if he died..." he said, worriedly.

"You own his soul, right?" Komas asked, earning a nod from Goten. "Then his soul would travel to _your_ world. So, at least you can put _that_ out of your mind; if Son Gohan were dead, you wouldn't be having this problem."

Goten frowned. "If he isn't dead, and he isn't in my world... where could he be?" he asked. He glanced at Komas. "Could he be back in the living world? He's been working on a project on a mortal space station, he'd be keen to return to it..." he said thoughtfully.

Komas raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say he couldn't leave your world on his own?" he asked. Goten nodded. "Think like a _Kai_ , Kai Goten. What's the _truth_ behind it all?"

Goten frowned at that, and turned back toward the door, closing his eyes. _The first step to finding the truth is asking the right question..._ he told himself, focusing on the Supreme Kai's teachings.

Where was Gohan?

No. _That_ wasn't the right question. Knowing where Gohan was wouldn't open this door, and it wouldn't take Kai Goten to him.

 _How can I get to where Gohan is?_

THAT was the right question, he could feel it. He focused on it, on the how, and something stirred within him.

As Goten focused, Komas could see blue tendrils of energy swirling around Goten, and the _pressure_... he swallowed, wondering if there was another reason why the Supreme Kai had left Kai Goten alone. Kai Goten had power he had no clue about, _that_ was for certain.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Kress stared his opponent down as they circled each other in the sky above the city. He wasn't quite sure how things had come to this, but he certainly preferred it to the annoying and pointless conversation he had been having with the shop keeper about the clothes he'd stolen. Somehow one thing had led to another, involving a man with a gun, a broken window, screaming, and now _this._

Kress wasn't sure what a 'Great Saiyaman' was, but _this_ idiot was a saiyan, he could tell by his scent. And his power level. But certainly _not_ by his behavior.

On all the planets he'd purged, of all the people he'd killed, he'd _never_ faced anyone _quite_ this retarded. He remembered the Ginyu Force and their stupid poses, used to humiliate their enemies before killing them. Before Vegeta had been taken by Frieza, it had been a running joke among the saiyan survivors that, if they ever managed to kill one of the Ginyu Force, they would do a stupid pose over their opponent's bodies, to send the fools off to hell with a taste of their own medicine. Kress had finally been the one to kill them, but by then the joke had been forgotten, and both Vegeta and Kress had been... _different_. There had been no room for foolishness.

But this was a different time, and Kress couldn't help but laugh at the remembered joke. The Great Saiyaman had stopped his tirade, something about how he would stop evil, and frowned. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

Kress shook his head. "You remind me of another group of idiots I met once," he said, crossing his arms. He narrowed his eyes. "I killed _them_ ," he said. The symbols on his wrists burned with the thought, and he reminded himself what he _could not_ do. "Don't worry, though, I'll be gentle with you. I'm having a bad day, and don't feel like putting you out of your misery. I'll just let you go through life continuing to be an idiot," he said, and flew at the Great Saiyaman with a punch to his stupid helmet.

It came off.

Kress's eyes narrowed as he looked into the face of his opponent. The younger man looked back at him, scowling. Kress growled furiously. "No! Absolutely NOT!" he yelled, throwing the Great Saiyaman into the side of a building. He was at his side instantly. "This is NOT what I've become! Some idiot in a suit, acting like the goddamn Ginyu Force?" he snarled, as the Great Saiyaman stood, looking both angry and confused. "YOU! Tell me. Your name isn't Son Gohan, by any chance, is it?" he asked, dreading the answer.

The Great Saiyaman glanced around warily, then met Kress's eyes. "How did you know my name?" he asked cautiously.

Kress growled again. "How the hell do you think? Look closely. I'm an older, less pathetic version of you," he snarled, crossing his arms.

Gohan scowled at the 'pathetic' remark, but looked Kress over closely. "You're an older version of me? Are you from the future?" he asked, mystified. "No," he said, answering his own question. "My tail was cut off when I was young, and you still have yours. You're from an alternate reality, am I right?" he asked, crossing his arms as well, stroking his chin as he looked Kress over.

Kress narrowed his eyes at Gohan. "You're not the idiot you want others to believe," he remarked.

"I'm not an idiot! Those moves are cool!" Gohan objected. Glancing around once again, he said, "besides, I have to protect my identity. I can't act like myself, or people would put two and two together, you know?" he asked.

"I don't," Kress responded, glaring. "You humiliate yourself, and for what? So no one will know you can _fight_? Have you no sense of _pride_?" he asked, disgusted. "So, this is what I would have become, if my uncle hadn't rescued me from my _idiot_ father. I'll have to thank him, when I see him in hell," he sneered, powering up as much as he could. "I've been told not to kill, but leaving you alive like _this_ is wrong. If I were in your shoes, I would welcome death. Allow me to help you to the other side," he said solemnly, his eyes growing cold. Gohan scowled, readying himself quickly, and Kress attacked.


	6. Goku

Vegeta was in the kitchen, raiding the refrigerator, when he saw Trunks sitting alone at the table, looking bored. Having grown accustomed to seeing him with Kress, he raised an eyebrow. "Where's Kress?" he asked, only semi-curious.

Trunks frowned. "He went to return some clothes he stole," he said with a sigh. He had really expected Kress to have returned by now, and wondered what was taking so long.

Vegeta grunted at that. "Why?" he asked, not seeing the big deal. This caused Trunks' eyes to widen.

"'Cause stealing's _wrong_ , Dad! What if they take him to jail or something?" Trunks asked worriedly.

Vegeta frowned. It was another instance where his values and his mate's clashed, and he allowed his son to believe whatever helped him fit in on this planet. Saiyans viewed theft much differently than humans did. If a person was strong enough to _take_ something, then by all rights it was _theirs._ He couldn't see why Kress would want to go through the trouble of returning the clothing, unless Trunks had told him to. Kress considered himself a Third-Class, so of course he would follow Trunks's orders, being Vegeta's son. Which could be problematic, since he had never trained Trunks to be a leader of Saiyans; there were no real Saiyans left for him to lead. Better that his son be raised to believe he was no different from the people around him, than for him to live the way Vegeta had; trained to rule, without a people to rule over.

Still, though, Kress had once lived on this planet. Surely he would keep his head, he did not expect the laws of the Saiyans to apply. He did not seem as though he were looking for trouble. And, as far as that went, he wasn't even as strong as he was in this universe. It didn't seem that Kakarot's brat would really have amounted to much, even if he _did_ train all his life.

Kress's lack of power hadn't really surprised Vegeta. Loathe as he was to admit it, it had been Kakarot realizing the legend of the Super Saiyan that had pushed himself and everyone else to their limits. That included his son, Gohan. Kress had shown himself to be stronger than Raditz had been in his fight with Trunks. He seemed even stronger than Vegeta had been when he first arrived on Earth. He wasn't a Super Saiyan, like he was in this universe, but at his current power level, it wouldn't be long before he achieved it.

Especially if he continued to fight Trunks.

"When he gets back, send-" he was saying, when he and Trunks both felt a very large power level coming from the southern part of the city. " _Now_ what?" Vegeta asked, and stalked out the door.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It had been sudden. One moment, he was fighting his other self, getting his ass handed to him, pulling more and more of his energy. He couldn't allow this, he _couldn't_. He may not be able to make his idiot father pay for making him a weakling, but he didn't have to _allow it to happen_. The more he fought this version of Gohan, the angrier he got. It was maddening.

How could he help this version of himself overcome his weakness, if _he_ couldn't access his strength?

Was he truly a failure? Would he give up? Would he allow this weakling version of himself continue to think that his current level was _strong_?

No.

He had to _do_ something.

He couldn't allow himself to exist... _like this..._

"I won't let this go on, Gohan!" he shouted. He was bleeding, he was broken, and Gohan, in Super Saiyan form, was wondering why this other, weaker version of him was still getting up. He admired his counterpart's determination, but was unwilling to kill the other man, even if it weren't another version of himself. And yet, this other version was talking as though _he_ had the upper hand. Gohan was starting to think his alternate self had gone insane.

And then it happened. Kress had drawn too much, he felt the energy absorber stall... then stop entirely.

And it all came flooding into him at once.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, and the buildings nearby shook. Eyes wide, like lightning Gohan grabbed Kress and flew with him as fast as he could, outside of the city, as the man's power grew and grew. After a certain point it exploded from him, and Gohan was forced away and flung into a nearby cliff. At least he had made it out of the city, he thought, as his other self became a Super Saiyan, his long hair spiking up behind him. And the power kept _coming_.

Gohan knew what would happen next.

"You have to stop this!" he shouted, as the earth shook around them both. "The power will consume you! It will consume everything! You have to STOP IT!" he cried, hoping he could reason with this other version of himself. Kress's power grew, higher than Gohan's, much higher, to levels Gohan had never dared allow himself to go. Kress was letting it flood him, take him over, and Gohan remembered the feeling.

It had happened with Cell.

"NO! Don't do this, you don't want to destroy this planet! PLEASE!" Gohan pleaded, trying to get closer to him.

A greenish tint and white lightning surrounded Kress, and he glared at Gohan. "He won't make me weak. Not again. I won't let you become what he wants. I won't let him make you into this! I'LL SAVE YOU FROM THIS!" he screamed, raising his hand to Gohan and firing a ki blast that the demi-Saiyan was sure he would never survive.

The next second, he was standing twenty feet away on Kress's left, and a familiar hand was on his shoulder. He looked up in relief. "Father!" he exclaimed.

Goku wasn't looking at him, though. His eyes were on Kress. Gohan spoke quickly, to fill his father in. "He's another version of me, father. You have to stop him... he'll destroy the planet!" he said.

And then Kress was there, mere feet away from them, scowling at Goku.

" _YOU!"_ he hissed, his lip curled. "You turned him into _this,"_ he accused, pointing at Gohan. "A weak, pathetic, _begging_ , sorry excuse for a warrior. Is THAT how you think of me? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED FOR ME?" he shouted, the winds picking up around them, the ground breaking apart. "If your life weren't already claimed by Vegeta, I would rip you to pieces!" he screamed.

Goku scowled. "As a matter of fact, I'm very proud of Gohan. He is the person _he_ wants to be, and that's all I ever wanted for him. I don't know what _your_ problem is, but I can tell you're not my son, because _he_ would never endanger the Earth!" he said, powering up. Gohan instinctively backed away from the stronger fighters. "And I don't know what part Vegeta is playing in all of this, but I won't let you destroy this planet, and he wouldn't, either. Stop this now. This is your only warning," he said, his hair turning gold.

Kress snarled at that. "Don't you presume to warn _me,_ father. _You're_ the reason I have to do this! If you cared at all for your son, you would have done it already! If you won't take care of your son, step aside and let someone else!" he demanded.

"The way Raditz took care of _you?_ " a calm voice asked, and Kress's eyes snapped to the source of the voice, as did Goku's. Behind Goku hovered a young man in blue clothes that looked like a Kai's. His messy black hair had a white streak in the front, and he wore two yellow earrings. But more impressive was the energy that surrounded him, it was a bright blue, that didn't feel at all like ki. Goku recognized the feeling of it.

Kress glared at the newcomer. "Stay out of this, brother, this doesn't concern you," he said, and turned his eyes back to Goku. "He issued a challenge, and I'm accepting," he said.

"No you're not," another voice said. It was Vegeta, who was standing on Goku's other side, his arms crossed. "I believe I made myself clear, Kress. Kakarot is mine. End of discussion," he said, eyes narrowed. Goku shot him an annoyed glance, which he ignored.

Kress turned his glare to the prince, and was about to speak, when Goten cut him off. "Enough of this, Gohan. You told me you didn't want to be a monster anymore. It's time to decide. Will this universe be a repeat of what you did to _our_ universe? Will you have even more deaths on your head? Or are you smart enough to see where this course of action will take you?" he asked him softly. "You refuse to listen to yourself, your father, or your prince. What about me, Gohan? Will you listen to me?" he asked.

Kress was shaking with fury. "You don't understand," he began, but Goten cut him off again.

"Understand what? That _your_ father was too weak to protect you from Raditz, so you have to take it out on _this Gohan's_ father, who _was_ strong enough? You hide behind your customs, but the truth is, you're just _jealous_. You're acting like a petulant _child_ ," he said, crossing his arms and glaring at him.

The truth of it stung Kress, and his eyes widened. Was _that_ what this was? Was he being _stupid_?

"Goku," Goten said softly, causing the saiyan to look at him. "He needs his father to beat some sense into him. Our father's dead. Mind helping out?" he asked.

Goku frowned, and turned his eyes to his own version of Gohan, who was watching from a distance not too far away. He was gazing at Kress knowingly, and at his father's glance, gave a slight nod. Vegeta scowled, his arms crossed, and gave a nod in agreement, even though he was not asked. Goku turned back to Kress.

And attacked.

Kress did not fight back, this time. In time, the wind stopped blowing, the earth stopped shaking, and Kress fell to the ground, bleeding and unconscious.

Goten stepped forward, and placed a hand on Goku's shoulder. "Thank you," he said softly. "Our father, the one from our universe, his greatest regret was that he never got the chance to train Gohan. I think, deep down, that was Gohan's greatest regret, too," he said softly, as they were joined by this universe's Gohan. Vegeta had already disappeared.

Gohan gave a small smile. "I got to train with my father for a whole year once, in the Time Chamber. I like to think it was the best year of my life," he said, glancing sheepishly at Goku, who smiled back at him. Gohan turned to the Kai. "You must be Goten, then. You look... well, different than I expected," he said, scratching the back of his head.

Goten laughed at that. "So do you, Gohan," he said, mirroring the gesture.

"Goten," Goku said, his tone serious, causing the Kai to turn to him. "Will your Gohan be alright? Will he try to hurt anyone else?" he asked cautiously.

Goten sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know. He's made a lot of progress lately, helped a lot of people. I think meeting you brought a lot of old feelings out, but I'm glad he was able to work through some of it," he said softly. "If he does have another relapse, though... I'll be there to stop him," he said, and cast Goku a sideways look. "It's my job," he said with a smile.

Goku gazed at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Look after each other, Goten. And tell Gohan," he said, scowling down at his unconscious son, "that I expect him to come back to me with an apology. A real, _human_ apology. I _know_ he remembers how," he said.

Goten nodded solemnly. "Father... please extend my thanks to Vegeta as well. Gohan cared a great deal for him, and I know it meant a lot to him to see Vegeta alive and well. I'm still learning about Saiyans, but from what I can tell, they're hardest on the ones they care about the most. And no one was harder on Gohan in our universe, than Vegeta was," he said softly.

Goku thought about that for a long moment, then nodded. "I don't know much about Saiyans, either. I tried to raise my two boys with the same ideals my grandpa Gohan taught me. I think I made the right decision," he said, glancing at Gohan, who gave a single nod. "But just because I don't understand Vegeta's ways, doesn't make them wrong, and doesn't mean he loves his son any less. I guess I'm glad that, if I couldn't be there for Gohan, at least someone was there to care for him," he said, with a crooked smile.

Goten smiled back, nodding, and bending down, hefted the unconscious form of his brother over his shoulder. He flashed a grin at Goku and Gohan, then suddenly winked out of existence, taking Kress with him.

Goku glanced at Gohan. "Well... since we're all the way out here... wanna spar?" he asked, knowing that his son was probably busy.

"Sure, Dad," Gohan said, surprising Goku. He got into a stance. "Just like old times?" he asked, grinning.

Goku smirked, getting into a stance as well. "Except this time, we don't have to hide from your mother," he said, and the two shared a knowing look, then attacked.


	7. Family

Kress groaned as he forced his eyes open. He was in the soft bed again, the one in Kai Goten's temple, the one that always made him feel _too_ comfortable. He pulled himself up with great effort, rolling himself onto the floor. No armor, again.

Had it all been a dream?

No. The blood that oozed from his cuts onto the cool stone floor was real enough, and there was no way Goten had kicked his ass _this_ thoroughly.

No. His _father_ had done this.

Kai Goten walked into the room to find Kress bleeding on the floor and laughing about it. He wasn't sure what to make of the scene at first, and merely crossed his arms, smirking as he watched him. It was such a... well, a _human_ sound. He couldn't remember ever hearing his brother laugh before.

Once the laughter died down, Kress pulled himself up and propped himself into a sitting position, his back against the side of the bed. His eyes met Goten's, and Goten sat down on the floor next to him, close enough that they were shoulder to shoulder.

"I saw Raditz," Goten said softly, earning a sideways glance from his brother. "And I got our grandfather Bardock to smack me upside the head," he added.

Kress smirked. "Vegeta lost his tail, and took a tech to mate," he said. "His son kicked my ass, then wanted to hang out with me anyway," he said, and sighed. "And my father..." he said, trailing off. "Goten, you think, if Raditz had waited, just a little bit longer, if maybe our father might have found a way to rescue me?" he asked.

Goten shrugged. "It's possible. Seems something like that must have happened in that other reality," he said. "No point in wondering about it now, though. We have plenty to deal with in our own reality," he added with a sigh.

Kress gave him another sideways glance. "Goten..."he said, and looked down, obviously struggling with the words.

"If you're sorry, then prove it, brother. Never pull that shit again," Goten said gruffly.

Kress smirked. "You've been spending too much time around your own kind, brother. All that Kai shine of yours will wear off if you're not careful," he said, making a sound in his throat that Goten always associated with the Saiyan version of laughter.

Goten met Kress's eyes. Kress often pointed out how different Goten was from him, since becoming a Kai, but this was the first time he'd referred to Goten as a Saiyan. It was a part of Goten's culture he hadn't really known until he no longer had it. Kress was making him feel like he was a part of something... like he had family.

"I don't mind losing a bit of the shine," Goten said softly.

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When Whis finished telling Beerus the tale, Beerus sat back in his chair, thinking with his eyes closed. He was like that for so long, Whis had feared he'd fallen back asleep. Only when he spoke did Whis know he was still awake. "We're going to pay this Kress a visit," he said.

Whis frowned. "I _do_ hope you don't intend to meddle in the Xenokai's affairs," he said hesitantly.

Beerus shot Whis a look. "I'm not _stupid_ ," he said, and shrugged. "I'll wait until he's alone. THEN I'll make my move. Such a great, destructive force. I want him. I want to see what he's like when he's consumed with power. I want to be _challenged_ ," he said, and stretched. "Don't worry, I'll kill him before he becomes _too_ dangerous," he said, then grinned. "So... what's there to eat?"

 **A/N: Okay, guys, that's it for this one! Sorry the fight scene wasn't as epic as I'd hoped, but they'll have another chance in the future. It's no coincidence Kai Goten's world opens to a portal to the canon universe, and this won't be the last you see of our DBS world! Next installment will be up soon, and as usual, I am open to ideas! Until next time!**


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